How to convert a scanned PDF to editable text (OCR)
A scanned document is really just a picture of text. You cannot select, search or copy from it until you run OCR (optical character recognition), which reads the image and adds a real text layer.
This guide shows how to make a scan searchable and then, if you need to, turn it into an editable document.
Add a text layer with OCR
- 1Open the OCR PDF tool and add your scanned file.
- 2Run OCR. DailyDone reads the pages and adds a selectable, searchable text layer.
- 3Save. The PDF now lets you find and copy text.
Turn it into an editable document
If you need to change the wording, convert the searchable PDF to Word and edit it there. OCR first gives a much cleaner conversion than converting a raw scan.
Convert to WordFrequently asked questions
- What is OCR?
- Optical character recognition reads text out of an image or scan and turns it into real, selectable text, so a scanned PDF becomes searchable and copyable.
- Can I make a photo of a document editable?
- Yes. Turn the photo into a clean PDF first, run OCR to add the text layer, then convert to Word if you need to edit the wording.